Salt Spring emergency crews had a busy afternoon on Wednesday, responding to two major calls back to back on opposite ends of the island.
The first call was to the Blackburn Road transfer station for a “confined space rescue” at about 3:20 p.m. Salt Spring Fire conducted a rope rescue and medical aid to a person who had fallen several feet into a bin and needed medical attention.
“We had to use ropes and harnesses to extricate the patient out safely without causing any medical concerns,” said Salt Spring Fire Rescue Chief Arjuna George. “Once the patient was out, the person was taken to Lady Minto Hospital.”
The second call came in minutes later. Crews responded to the 2300 block of North End Road for a single vehicle roll over. The vehicle had rolled into the ditch, and the occupant was able to get out of the car.
“It was a very complicated situation due to the vehicle being on its roof,” George said. “Extrication would have been a challenge. She was already outside the vehicle, but definitely needed medical attention.”
The driver was put on a stretcher and taken to Lady Minto Hospital by ambulance.
The vehicle was damaged extensively. No other cars were involved and the cause of the roll over is under RCMP investigation, George said.
The back-to-back incidents put a lot of demand on both fire and ambulance crews, George said.
“We had an amazing response from our crews; from our career staff as well as our paid on calls. For a daytime response that was very impressive. Big kudos to all the responders. “